Apparatus for vacuum-tube manufacture



July 1926.

w. G. HousKEEPER APPARATUS FOR VACUUM TUBE MANUFACTURE Filed D80. l5,192.3

fins:

\ A e l/ 25 Referrin l shown in igure 1, a plan view illustrating j Fig.2 1s '45 spiral Patented July 13, 1926.

UNITEDQSTATES PATENT OFFICE."

WILLIA G. HOUSXEEPEB, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERNELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, NaY., A. CORPORATION Ol'NEW YORK.'

` APPARATUS FOR IVAC'UUH-TUBE yMAN1I1FAC'1."UBE.

Application led December 13, 1923. Serial No. 680,344.

manufacture of such tubes to provide a very close t between thesupportlng collar and the particular stem with which the supportingcollar is to be used. It is commercially impractical to obtainglasstubing for the stems of such vacuum tubes which is uniform indiameter and in4 consequence the collars are provided with crimps asshown. p in my Patent No. 1,536,855, issued May 5,

1925.' It has been found commercially that itis desirableto expand the.collars until their inside diameters are only slightly lessv than theoutside diameters of the stems with which they areto be used. It is,therefiore, the object of the present invention to provide a reliableand eicient device for expanding the collar of the supporting electrodeto fit a particular stem.

now to the drawing,

there is one embodiment of the invention.

a view partly in section of the mechanism shown in Fignl.` Fig. 3 is aview of a vacu- I0 um tube showing the arrangement of the su portingcollar with'respect to its stem.

n Fig. 12 there is shown an expansion chucl; 5-wh1ch has a plurality ofjaws 6.

-These jaws 6 -are arranged to' be moved in accordance with the-movementof a wheel or handle 7. This wheel or handle 7 is secured l i to a shaft8 which has one end fitted in an aperture of Va bevelled gear 9, as ismore clearly shown in F' 2. The teeth of the bevelled gear 9 mes withthe `teeth cfa second bevelledlgear 10 which has arranged on its uppersurface a spiral gear. Each of the jawsv is provided'with a rojectingportion which engages' the teetgearA and are thus moved in `either anoutward or inwarddirection in accordance with the direction of 'rotationof the bevelled gear-9. A I Supported bv a block 11 and movable in l!accordancewi 'the movement of the jaws r46 arela pair of members 13 and14. -In order tgpermit the easyin'ovementnof the .in this.

members 13 and 14, an oil hole 12 is drilled in the top of the block 11through which oil "may be passed for lubricating the members 13 and 14.Each ofthe members 13 and 14.- is provided with caliper-like portions 15position by means of a retractil'e spring 17 aving `one end secured toeach of these members. As is shown in Fig. 1, the mem- 'and 16respectively and are held in a normal ber 13extends over the surfaceofthe chuck 5 and has an aperture therein'for permit- Y ting theymovement of thel jaws 6; The end of the member 13, o posite to thatcarrying the jaw 15-is provi ed with a downwardly projectingportion 18which is arranged in alignment with the member 19 which moves inaccordance with one of the jaws 6. Likewise, the member 14 is 'providedwith a downwardly projecting' portion 20 in the path of nember 21 which,like member 19, is

moved in accordance with the movement of one of the jaws 6. It is thusseen that whenA the jaws 6 are moved in accordance with the'.

rotation of the bevelled gear 9, the members 13 and 14 will be caused tofollow the movement of these jaws.

A better understanding of the invention may be had from the followingdescription of the operation. Assume now that it 1s desired to expandacollar 22 which carries the' electrodes of the vacuum tube to fit apar-V ticular stem 2 3. The-collar is placed around the jaws 6 and thewheel or handle 7 moved for causing the rotation of the bevelled gear 9and the outward movement of the jaws '6. The jaws 6 are thus moved,moving with them the members 13 and 14, thus increasing the openingbetween the caliper-like members 15 and 16. Jaws 6 engage the co1- lar22 andeect its expansion. When it is thou ht that the collar has beenexpanded suiclently to iit the stem '23, an attempt 1s made to insertthis'stem between the cahperlike members 15 and 16. VOf course, if theoperator is unable to insert the stem 23 between the caliper-likemembers 15 and 16, it

ice

between the caliper-like members and 16, l

collar 22 will be a little smaller than the stem 23 but not enough toprevent the col- A lar 22 being forced over the stem 23.

Following the mounting of the collar 22 on the stem 23, the otherelectrodes are securedto the supports which are then inserted in anenclosing vessel, as shown in `Fig. 3.

Although the invention has been disclosed and described in reference toa particular type of apparatus it is, of course, obvious that variousmodifications mayi be made without departing from the spirit and scopeof the presentinventiol'i.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for expanding the electrode supporting collars vof vacuumtubes to fit a particular stem comprising an expansion chuck, and a pairof members moved in ac'- cordnce Lwith the movement ofJ the chuck fordeterminin the amount of movement necessary for e collar to t aparticular st m- 2. A device yfor expanding an electrode supportingcollar of vacuum tubes to Ht a -particular stem comprising an expansiondevice`- and means o erable in accordance with said expansion evice fordetermining the amount of ex ansion necessary for the collar to t aparticular stem. 3. A device for expanding an electrode I supportingcollar of a vacuum tube to fit a particular stem com risingexpansionmeans. to receive said collar, means to operate said expansionmeans, and means op srated 1n accordance with the movement of theexpansion device for determining when said collar has been expandedsuiciently to t said means.

4. A device for expanding an electrode supporting collar to fit aparticular stem comprising an expansion device'to receive said collar,and a pair of members moved in opposite directions in accordance withthe operation of said expansion device for de-v `termming when saldcollar has been expanded suiiiciently to fit said stem.

5. A device for expanding an electrode supporting collar of a vacuumtube tor fit a particular stem comprising an expansion device to receivesaid collar, a pair of members moved in opposite directions inaccordance with the operation of said expansion device, and caliper-likeportions carried by said members for determining when said` collar Lhasbeen expanded suiiiciently to fit said stem.

6. A device for expanding an electrode supporting collar to fit aparticular stem comprising an expansion screw chuck having a pluralityof jaws arranged to receive said collar, a pair of members movable inopposite directions in accordance with the movement of said jaws, andmeans formed by said members to gauge the size of said collar to fitsaid stem;

7,'In combination, adapted to receive an electrode supporting collar, apair of movable members adapted. lto recelve the stem of a vacuum tube,means to operate said expansion means, connections between saldexpansion means and expansion means said movable members to operate thelatter in accordance with the former, whereby when the movable4 membersare operated suiiiciently to receive a stem, the collar on the expansionmeans is of fit over said stem.

.In witness whereofrl hereunto subscribe my name this 11 day of DecemberA. D.,

- WILLIAM G. HOUSKEEPER.

proper -size to

